Closing film

The story of legendary jazz pianist Erroll Garner is reminiscent of the cliché about the clown whose life is full of pain that is hidden from everyone — including his family — behind a smile. Garner grew up in a working-class family in Pittsburgh. At age 3, he taught himself to play piano but never had the opportunity to study and could not read music. In the 1950s and ’60s, he achieved enormous success as a composer and performer, and his song “Misty,” which he composed during a flight between two gigs, became one of the best-known jazz standards.

The backdrop to Garner’s success included struggles with record companies and protests against racial discrimination, while his personal life included divorce, a secret daughter whom he abandoned, a partner in his final years, and a domineering manager. The film reveals Garner’s story through people who were close to him, and the wonderful music that abounds in the film, like Garner’s charming smile, almost masks the difficult life story of this talented artist.